George Clarke joined experts from Mitsubishi Electric at InstallerSHOW to discuss the latest trends and innovations in heat pump technology and to share more about his installation experience.
The UK government has set an ambitious target of installing 600,000 heat pumps every year by 2028. The MCS Foundation’s official 2023 figures reveal that there were just 39,000 new heat pumps installed last year. Consumer interest has never been higher, but uptake is still not where it needs to be.
According to Russell Dean, Mitsubishi Electric’s Residential Product Group Director, that’s about to change: “In 2025 the Future Homes Standard comes in, which means fossil fuel boilers will no longer be installed in new homes. So it’s likely that 150,000 to 200,000 new-build homes a year are going to have a heat pump installed, so we’ll start to see big jumps, really quickly.”
Choosing, installing, and living with a heat pump is a new experience for consumers, and with that comes a lot of questions about what to expect. Speaking on his own installation experience, George Clarke, a Mitsubishi Electric Ecodan heat pump ambassador said: “I upgraded the fabric of my house first, as at the time, it had single-glazed windows that were installed in 1968, plus there was very little insulation.”
Clarke acknowledged that not everyone will need, or want to do the same. “While I’ve probably gone over the top with the fabric of the building,” he continued, “it means the air-source heat pump can work even more efficiently. It’s brilliant for hot water, but for heating, I hardly need to use it at all because I’ve done a fabric-first approach.”
Industry innovation
The heat pump industry continues to innovate, focusing on solutions that have the benefits consumers are looking for. James Chaplen, Mitsubishi’s Head of Product Marketing and Communications explained: “Historically, Mitsubishi Electric has delivered products to market which achieve heating temperatures of about 55℃ or less. When compared to a fossil-fuel boiler, there’s a noticeable difference, where an oil boiler can deliver up to 90℃, and a gas boiler, between 60℃ and 70℃.”
Mitsubishi’s R290 high-temperature heat pump can now match the temperatures of a gas boiler. Mitsubishi developed the technology in direct response to comfort-related barriers to adoption. There are other benefits too, as Chaplen explained: “[High-temperature heat pumps] are ideal for consumers who actually don’t want to make all those [fabric] adjustments to their house.”
Heat pump technology is here to stay with the technology continually evolving to better suit a wide range of consumer needs. It’s clear from this fascinating panel that we are well on the way to wider spread decarbonisation of home heating.
